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Police say thief used child as decoy in Markham break-in

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:48 GMT

York Regional Police are warning the public about a break-in theft that involved the ruse of a child searching for a lost ball to distract the homeowner.Investigators say the theft took place on Wednesday, December 13 at around noon.According to police, a boy between the ages of 10 and 12 rang the doorbell of a home near Rodick Road and 16th Avenue in Markham, telling the homeowner they had inadvertently kicked a ball into their backyard and wanted help getting it back.The homeowner agreed and walked with the boy into the backyard to look for the ball.When they couldn’t find it, police say the child left.But when the homeowner returned to the front of the house, they noticed an adult male exiting the residence.“The investigation revealed that as the complainant brought the child to the backyard, an adult male emerged from a hiding spot and snuck into the residence through the unlocked front door,” a police release explained.“The suspect went through some room...

NDP and Liberals set new deadline for introduction of pharmacare bill

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:48 GMT

The NDP and Liberals have agreed to a new March 1 deadline for the federal government to introduce pharmacare legislation in the House of Commons, as part of their supply-and-confidence deal.The minority Liberals had promised to pass a law by the end of the year that would set the foundations for a future pharamcare program, as part of their political pact with the NDP to secure support on key votes.But so far, the parties have not been able to come to a consensus on exactly what that framework should look like, which has stalled negotiations.New Democrats say they have insisted on a universal, single-payer program, while the Liberals have repeatedly cited the need to be fiscally responsible.NDP health critic Don Davies says in a statement that the parties must get the legislation right, especially given the high cost of living many Canadians are struggling with.The House of Commons is scheduled to rise for the holidays by Friday and return on Jan. 29.

Residents cleared to return home as Quebec dike declared safe after repair work

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:48 GMT

MONT-LAURIER, Que. — Authorities say work carried out by government engineers has stabilized a dike northwest of Montreal that was at risk of bursting.With the Morier dike in the Laurentians region deemed safe, hundreds of residents from the municipalities of Chute-Saint-Philippe and Lac-des-Écorces can return home after being forced out 11 days ago.The two communities were under an emergency preventive evacuation order after signs of erosion were detected during a monthly inspection of the dike.Authorities had initially said the evacuation order would be in place at least until Sunday, but they said today that while work and monitoring will continue over the coming days, it no longer presents a danger.Nearly 1,900 properties were affected by the evacuation order, and more than 1,000 residents had registered with local officials after leaving their homes.The provincially owned dike was built in 1954 and has the capacity to retain 382 million cubic metres of water, the equivalent of ...

Ex-FBI counterintelligence official gets over 4 years in prison for aiding Russian oligarch

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:48 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A former top FBI counterintelligence official was ordered Thursday to spend over four years in prison for violating sanctions on Russia by going to work for a Russian oligarch seeking dirt on a wealthy rival after he finished his government career. Charles McGonigal was sentenced to four years and two months in prison in Manhattan federal court by Judge Jennifer H. Rearden, who said McGonigal harmed national security by repeatedly flouting sanctions meant to put economic pressure on Russia to get results without military force. He was also fined $40,000.She imposed the sentence after a prosecutor cast McGonigal’s crime as a greedy money-grab that leveraged the knowledge he gained in his FBI career to cozy up to a notorious Russian oligarch, billionaire industrialist Oleg Deripaska.Deripaska has been under U.S. sanctions since 2018 for reasons related to Russia’s occupation of Crimea.Given a chance to speak, McGonigal told the judge in a voice that sometimes got shaky...

Black child, 10, sentenced to probation and a book report for urinating in public

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:48 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A 10-year-old Black child who urinated in a parking lot must serve three months’ probation and write a two-page book report on the late NBA star Kobe Bryant, a Mississippi judge has ordered. Tate County Youth Court Judge Rusty Harlow handed down the sentence Tuesday after the child’s lawyer reached an agreement with a special prosecutor. The prosecution threatened to upgrade the charge of “child in need of supervision” to a more serious charge of disorderly conduct if the boy’s family took the case to trial, said Carlos Moore, the child’s attorney. “I thought any sensible judge would dismiss the charge completely. It’s just asinine,” Moore said. “There were failures in the criminal justice system all the way around.” The child’s mother has said her son urinated behind her vehicle while she was visiting a lawyer’s office in Senatobia, Mississippi, on Aug. 10. Police officers in the town of about 8,100 residents, 40 miles (64 kilometers) s...

Congress departs without deal on Ukraine aid and border security, but Senate plans to work next week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:48 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress was departing Washington on Thursday without a deal to pass wartime support for Ukraine, even as President Joe Biden’s administration raced to negotiate with Senate Republicans who are demanding changes to U.S. border security policy in return.The Senate planned to come back next week in hopes of finalizing a deal to place new restrictions on asylum claims at the U.S. border and pass the $110 billion package of aid for Ukraine, Israel and other national security needs. But the House showed no sign of returning to push the legislation through the full Congress.Lawmakers leaving the impasse unresolved through the holidays would mean the Biden administration would have to rely on a dwindling supply of funds for Ukraine. The wartime aid has so far been vital to Ukraine’s defending against Russia’s invasion, and Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier Thursday recommitted to his goals in the war.Repelling Russia has been one of Biden’s ...

Ja Morant set for comeback, ‘understands the process’ that has led to his return after suspension

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:48 GMT

Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies have been counting down the days until the two-time All-Star’s 25-game suspension ends.For Morant, almost literally.The point guard suspended for flashing a gun on social media twice in the span of three months has posted the hourglass emoji a couple times, the last on Monday with “return soon” followed by that emoji with the number of days and games left until he plays again for the Grizzlies.Morant will speak to reporters Friday morning after a shootaround in Memphis. His season debut will be Tuesday night in New Orleans.Coach Taylor Jenkins said Morant has been “unbelievable” working to be ready the moment his suspension ends.“I expect him to be full go come Game 26,” Jenkins said. “He’s really excited. He understands the process that’s gotten him here.”Still, it’s up to Morant to prove the undisclosed steps required during the league-imposed timeout actually worked with everyone watching and waiting for any slip-up or mistake in hi...

Fox picks up B.C.-shot crime drama ‘Murder in a Small Town’ for upcoming fall lineup

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:48 GMT

Fox has ordered the B.C.-shot crime drama “Murder in a Small Town” for its fall lineup next year.Based on the “Karl Alberg” novel series by late Canadian author L.R. Wright, Fox says the series will star Vancouver’s Rossif Sutherland and Kristin Kreuk. Production is slated to begin January in British Columbia.Fox says it obtained the U.S. rights to the series, which hails from the Vancouver-based Sepia Films in association with L.A.’s Future Shack Entertainment. Sutherland stars as Karl Alberg, a detective who moves to a quiet coastal town in search of peace of mind but finds “this gentle paradise has more than its share of secrets,” the logline reads.Fox says the series will be directed by Toronto’s Milan Cheylov with Vancouver’s Ian Weir on board as head writer.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 14, 2023.The Canadian Press

Lawyers for Atlanta ask federal appeals court to kill ‘Stop Cop City’ petition seeking referendum

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:48 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Lawyers for the city of Atlanta on Thursday asked a federal appeals court to overturn a lower court ruling that let nonresidents collect signatures as part of the “Stop Cop City” effort to force a referendum on a police and fire training center.If the city wins, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals could kill the petition drive by ruling it illegal under state law, or rule all of 100,000-plus signatures collected are void because none were submitted by the original 60-day deadline of Aug. 21.Even a ruling just narrowing which petitions are accepted could doom the chances that opponents will have enough signatures from eligible registered Atlanta voters to force a referendum, an analysis by The Associated Press, Georgia Public Broadcasting, WABE and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has found. Statistical sampling of 1,000 entries found it’s possible opponents have the required 58,231 signatures if all entries are counted. But excluding signatures collected after Aug....

Supreme Court refuses to block Illinois law banning some high-power semiautomatic weapons

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:38:48 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to put on hold a new Illinois law that would ban high-power semiautomatic weapons like the one used in the mass killing of seven people at a 2022 parade in Highland Park.The justices did not comment in refusing an emergency appeal from a gun rights group and others.The law prohibits the possession, manufacture or sale of semiautomatic rifles and high-capacity magazines. It takes effect Jan. 1.Last month, a three-judge panel of the 7th District U.S. Court of Appeals voted 2-1 in favor of the law, refusing a request by gun rights groups to block it. The Illinois Supreme Court separately upheld the law on a 4-3 decision in August. Lawmakers call for gun safety measures on 11th anniversary of Sandy Hook At least eight other states and the District of Columbia have some sort of prohibition on semiautomatic weapons, and several cases challenging those laws are making their way through the federal courts, relying at least in part o...